


Growing Pains

by Zymm



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: AU, Drabbles, F/F, F/M, High School AU, Lighthearted, M/M, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 08:39:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15190991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zymm/pseuds/Zymm
Summary: Growing up is hard.





	1. Chapter Index

**Author's Note:**

> When I struggle to get started writing on my main works, I do drabbles/one-shots/prompts usually in a high school AU. I thought I’d share them here!
> 
> I also take requests for chapters so long as it’s in the same AU. 
> 
> Lastly, I *may* crossover later with ToG characters as well, because why not. As always, thanks for reading!

Chapter 1: “Same backpack?? Same backpack!!!” (T)

Chapter 2: “You’re my best friend, but you’re also kind of terrifying.” (T) 


	2. “Same backpack?? Same backpack!!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhysand and Cassian meet Azriel in what can only be described as a fate-driven turn of events.

**Same backpack?? Same backpack!**

Sixth Grade

  
  


“Holy shit.” 

Rhysand gaped at his friend, eyes going wide as a gasp escaped his mouth.

“Cass, you can’t  _ say that  _ at school.” Rhysand hissed, tugging on Cassian’s backpack straps, trying to get his attention. It was a hilarious sight- Cassian, a sixth-grader who could easily pass for a high school student, his dark red backpack looking miniature on his back. He was already on his way to being the tallest middle-school student Prythian Academy had ever seen.

Rhysand wasn’t tiny, either- his mom said he was very handsome and kingly,  _ thank you very much _ \- but he couldn’t make Cassian move an inch.

“Rhys, it’s fate.” Cassian said, shaking his head, a faint, amazed grin on his face. 

Rhysand followed his eyesight to the other side of the hallway, looking over the student body milling in between. 

“That guy?” Rhysand asked, squinting at the one kid that stood out the most- a lanky, raven-haired boy, isolated from the rest of the students. He had a big scowl on his face, and Rhysand wasn’t sure he was nice.

“Don’t you see it?” Cassian asked, practically bouncing on his feet.

Rhysand stared at the boy, but still didn’t understand- he looked normal. Maybe a little sad, and cold, but pretty normal, maybe a  _ little  _ familiar-

Then Rhysand noticed the dark red backpack at the boy’s feet, almost hidden by his form. The perfect match to Cassian’s own worn-out back.

Cassian was already moving through the crowd before Rhysand could stop him, parting the seas of Axe body-spray and neon colors, the sticker-covered notebooks and temporary tattoos.

“Same backpack!!” Cassian all but shouted when he found the boy, grinning from ear to ear.

The boy flinched, moving away from Cassian- Rhysand didn’t blame him that much. Cassian was like a large dog that still thought he was a puppy. Overly loud, happy, and possessing no concept of personal space.

“What?” The boy said quietly, wincing at Cassian’s loud tone.

Cassian just pointed at his backpack, nodding all the while. “We’ve got the same backpack, dude!”

“Oh.” Was all the boy said, as if just then remembering his backpack existed. 

It didn’t phase Cassian, who simple stuck a hand out between them, that bright grin still plastered onto his face.

“I’m Cassian!” He announced- the boy reluctantly shook his hand.

“Azriel.” He mumbled, still not meeting his eyes.

“I’m Rhysand. Do you have a class schedule?” Rhysand asked, softer than Cassian’s brash introduction. He figured the boy- Azriel- was probably a little out of his element. But then again, who  _ wasn’t  _ with Cassian?

“Yeah. I have-” Azriel fished a crumpled paper out of his pocket,  squinting at the smeared ink. “I don’t know. I- I can’t read all that great.”

“It’s pretty shitty handwriting, too.” Cassian chimed in, casually swiping the paper from his new friend’s hand.

“Cassian,” Rhysand sighed. “You’re going to get us into detention again.”

“Well all I’m saying is that they could’ve at least printed it off for him or something.” Cassian shrugged, flattening the paper with his knee.

“Let me see it,” Rhysand snapped, taking it from him; Azriel watched, the tension in his shoulders relaxing a little bit, watching the two friends interact. He wondered if they fought often.

“Well, you’re in luck, Azriel. We all have English next,” Rhysand said with a grin. “And there’s nothing more entertaining than listening to Cassian read Shakespeare.”

  
  



	3. “You’re my best friend, but you’re also kind of terrifying.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassian plays the role of bodyguard, even when it’s really not needed.

“ **You’re my best friend but you’re also kind of terrifying”**

Seventh grade

 

Azriel slammed his backpack down onto the desk, scowling as a few pencils rolled out of the hole he’d patched up that morning. Apparently he wasn’t the best at sewing, which wasn’t much of a surprise.

He still had that dark red backpack, even though Cassian had already moved onto a new, shinier one. Azriel had said it was because of the sentiment of it all- even though Cassian called him a girl for it, albeit with tears in his eyes. But it was more of the fact that he wouldn’t be getting a new backpack for a long, long time.

“What’s wrong?” Cassian asked, shooting up in his seat as soon as Azriel had sulked into the one beside him. 

“Nothing. I’m fine.” Azriel mumbled. Thumbing through his binder, he found out that he’d also left his math homework at home. He  _ never  _ did that.

He felt that feeling creep back into him. The anxiety, the worry. What would his dad do when he heard he got a zero on a homework assignment?

“Liar.” Cassian shot back. “Where’s your homework? I forgot to do mine, but we’ve got like three minutes left so I can just copy-”

_ Here we go. _

“I forgot it at home.” Azriel said through gritted teeth. Wincing, a bit, even though he knew it was stupid. Why would Cassian, of all people, care-

“Whoa.” Cassian breathed. “Are you okay? Sick? Do I need to get the nurse or something?”

“I just had a long day yesterday. Must’ve forgotten it on my desk.” Azriel said, trying to shrug it off as casually as Cassian always did. He was too tense.

“I mean, that’s fine and all, but you never do that.” Cassian said, raising an eyebrow at him. He ran a hand across his jaw- he always did that nowadays. One of the first in their class to start growing the beginnings of facial hair, and so he had to check the growth  _ every five minutes. _

__ “You forgot your homework?” Another voice behind him asked.

Azriel didn’t even have to look at Rhysand to know he was probably trying to hide his shock behind the hand over his mouth.

“It’s been a long week.” Azriel growled, turning back around in his seat.

“Is this because of Dagdan?” Cassian whispered beside him. Trying to whisper, but failing, of course.

He didn’t miss the way Azriel bristled, though.

“Dude, what did he  _ say  _ to you?” Cassian pushed, a frown on his face. “I only heard a little bit from other people, but you didn’t tell us-”

“I don’t have to tell you everything.” Azriel said, tensing up, feeling those walls snap back into place. “And what he said doesn’t matter.”

“He’s lying.” Rhysand said quietly behind him.

“Shut up.” Azriel shot back.

“You always tense up when you’re lying.” Rhysand said, shrugging. “You think we don’t know you by now?” 

Azriel ignored him.

“C’mon man. It bothered you enough to forget your homework, and that’s a pretty big deal for you.” Cassian added. 

Azriel’s mouth went into a thin line, a grimace on his features. He knew he shouldn’t say anything to them, especially Cassian. Both were fierce friends, but Rhysand knew when to leave it all alone. Cassian, however, had a nasty temper kept hidden, for the most part.

“You promise not to do anything.” Azriel mumbled, staring straight at the whiteboard at the front of the class. He wasn’t asking.

Cassian nodded quickly beside him, Rhysand leaning forward to be a part of the conversation.

“He said stuff about my mom.” Azriel said quietly, so soft that Cassian had to strain to listen.

Rhysand stiffened, caught off guard. He was pretty good at keeping his composure, rarely without the perfect-student mask he wore, but he seemed taken aback at it all.

And Cassian only shut his mouth, his face going a little white.

“That fucker.” Rhysand said quietly, shaking his head with disgust. Azriel nodded in agreement.

Cassian just sat back in his seat, not looking at either of them. For once, he was completely quiet and non-disruptive for the entire lesson.

\----------------

 

Azriel wasn’t the best in gym. 

He wasn’t the worst, by a long shot. Always picked towards the middle for teams, never the last one standing. Never the first to finish the mile run, but never the last. Pretty average.

Cassian was the one who usually pushed him in gym, because the boy was an athlete through and through. They’d even started going for runs on the side. Azriel wasn’t the biggest fan of death-by-jogging, but he liked having friends for once.

But Cassian wasn’t in gym.

Rhysand and Azriel changed quickly in the locker room, lining up in the gym afterwards. Rhysand leaned towards him while the coach droned on about running techniques.

“Where’s Cass?” Rhysand whispered, looking around the gym.

Azriel shrugged. “I haven’t seen him since lunch.”

And sure enough, Cassian didn’t even come in until midway through the class. He had a thin line of sweat on his face, his normal smile absent.

“Nice of you to show up.” Rhysand said, rolling his eyes as he tossed a water bottle towards his friend.

“I had stuff to do.” Cassian said stiffly.

“Did you get detention again?” Azriel asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction.  He meant it as a joke, a nod to his friend’s romance with breaking rules. But Cassian didn’t smile.

“Not sure yet.” He responded.

 

\----------------

 

Azriel saw Dagdan as soon as he walked past the nurse’s office.

His face was red and bruised, his normally handsome features marred. There was a broad scowl on his face, and he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, seething.

When he saw Azriel staring, he opened his mouth, probably to say something terrible- Azriel moved along. 

“I didn’t tell you to go pick a fight with him.” Azriel said as soon as he made it to the schoolbus, pointing a finger in Cassian’s face. Well, up at Cassian’s face.

Cassian raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Beating up Dagdan. Don’t fight my fights for me.” Azriel responded, gritting his teeth. “You’re going to get detention, or worse, expelled, and then-”

“Dagdan won’t say anything.” Cassian interrupted him, a small smile on his face. 

“He’s got a big mouth.” Azriel shot back.

“Doesn’t matter. I told him about Rhys’s dad being a cop, and told him I’d bring him down to the school next time he wanted to talk shit.” Cassian explained, calmly looking at the students still pouring out of the school, his face casual. Azriel was a little freaked out by how easy it all came to him- he’d assumed there wasn’t much going on in his friend’s head. Everyone did.

“That’s not a cop’s job.” Azriel said weakly.

“You think Dagdan knows that? He’s as dumb as a bag of rocks.” Cassian scoffed. “And I punched him in the face, too, because I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”

“I don’t think cops would like that.”

“Rhysand’s dad doesn’t have to know that part.” Cassian said innocently.

Azriel shook his head, trying his hardest not to laugh. 

“You know, you’re my best friend, but you’re also kind of terrifying.” 

“Yeah, I  _ am _ pretty badass when you think about it.” Cassian said with a broad grin, back to the goofy, oversized seventh-grader he really was. 

Azriel shook his head. He wasn’t sure he and Rhys would be able to deal with a teenage Cassian anytime soon. 


End file.
